Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 26, 1994 TAG: 9408170039
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARY BISHOP STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
So are some people in Tazewell County.
There is no acknowledgment that the movie was made there and not a word of thanks to the hundreds of local people who worked for months to help the filmmakers.
Not even the Virginia Film Office, which scouted the state with the moviemakers and closed Interstate 64 in Richmond for a film sequence, gets credit.
"There was never a film shot in Virginia where we didn't get on-screen credit," said Rita McClenny, director of the film office. With its help, 89 movies have been made in the state.
"It was an oversight. I'm not happy about it, but there's nothing I can do about it."
The movie press kit does say the filming was done in Tazewell County.
But then it says the movie is about a family that settles in the Shenandoah Valley. The valley's western edge is at Lexington, 150 miles from Tazewell.
In the movie, Lassie and her new family move to a fictional rural village called Franklin Falls, Va.
Tazewell County school buses were used during filming, and there was a sign at a movie livestock exposition that said ``Tazewell County.'' It looked like the county would get mega-exposure, but all that was cut.
``Tazewell County's in there nowhere,'' lamented Christy Parker, the county's economic development director. She worked months with the crew, and though it was one of the best experiences of her career, she wishes her county had gotten a plug in the credits.
A water safety team called Dragan Diversified in Thurmond, W.Va., did. The name's wrong - the credit says ``Dragonfly Diversified'' - but owner John Dragan's not complaining; that's close enough.
``To be real honest with you, we took less money for credit,'' he said. ``Money's nice, but a credit's in the video for always.''
The only mention of Tazewell is in one of the crew credits that says ``Extras casting - Tazewell: Emily Fisher.''
She's a Tazewell County media specialist, and she sees a blessing in all this.
``If I were in Christy's position, I would be disappointed,'' she said. ``However, from living here in this beautiful valley, it's just as well we don't get too much recognition.''
She's heard about heavy traffic and even lawsuits when other rural movie locations became tourist attractions.
There are a few ways Christy Parker hopes to wring a little more economic benefit out of the movie for her county.
She'll ask that credit be given to the county in the video.
On Aug. 6, the Cove Community Center, which is the former Cove School and is in the movie, will hold fund-raising hayrides of the area and a tour of the ``Lassie'' home.
Then in May, Parker will help Paramount Pictures run a movie promotion in seven countries. Sweepstakes winners get a ``Lassie Country Fan Tour.''
Part of the prize is three expense-paid days in Tazewell County.
by CNB